Those Old Cheap Moves
by sugah66
Summary: ...They work every time. DL smuff, set during season 2.
1. Appetizer

**TITLE: Those Old Cheap Moves  
****AUTHOR: Sugah  
****SUMMARY: Danny and Lindsay go on a date.  
****SPOILERS: None  
****PAIRING: Danny/Lindsay, as if you needed to ask.  
****RATING: M. But you know, I write more than smut, people. :P  
****DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine, so please don't sue. Cardboard boxes make crappy houses.  
****AUTHOR'S NOTE: Based on an episode of "Friends" and set sometime during season 2, just because I felt like it. Also, because then I get to ignore all that angst crap TPTB have been feeding us lately. I haven't decided when exactly I want it to take place, but suffice it to say that it's pre-RSRD, because Stella is still with Frankie.**

**The phrase "Messer Magic" was borrowed from theheathen and will be returned at the conclusion of this fic, mostly unscathed.**

**Will be 3 chapters when it's finished.**

**Thanks to Cyko and Spunky for the beta.**

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Those Old Cheap Moves

**Part 1**

**Appetizer**

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It started out innocently enough.

Lindsay and Danny were in their office, finishing up the paperwork from their latest case. Lindsay twisted around in her chair, desperately attempting to crack her back, and caught sight of Stella sauntering down the hallway, dressed for a night out. She'd retouched her makeup, added a little more bounce to her curls, and slipped into a slinky black dress that looked amazing. Lindsay watched her until she disappeared around the corner, and then turned once again to the mountainous stack of paperwork she had yet to complete. Without really meaning to, she sighed.

Danny looked up from his own work. "Something wrong, Montana?" he drawled, cocking an eyebrow.

Lindsay shook her head. "No." She certainly wasn't about to tell Danny, of all people, why she was suddenly so depressed. It was a silly thing to be upset about, really. So Stella was off on some hot date and Lindsay didn't even have a semblance of a personal life. So she was so pathetic that she didn't even have a cat waiting at home for her. Big deal, right?

"Yeah, not buying it," Danny said, putting down his pen. "What's up?"

"Nothing." She said it a little more firmly than she intended, and punctuated her sentence by dotting an 'i' on her form with enough force to dent the table. "I'm fine, Messer. Really."

Now Danny furrowed his brow, as though concerned. "Are you okay?"

It was the tenderness in his tone that gave her pause. He sounded genuinely worried about her; he obviously thought something was seriously wrong, and here Lindsay was having an attack of the green-eyed monster because she hadn't had a proper date since she left Bozeman. She exhaled slowly through pursed lips, debating if she should tell him the real reason or just make something up to get him to stop talking.

"You really want to know?"

He nodded, giving her what was probably his best puppy dog expression. She bet the girls just melted at the sight of him sticking out his lower lip in that delicious pout and opening those amazing blue eyes wide. Luckily, she was immune to what the lab techs had dubbed the 'Messer Magic.'

"All right," she said, returning to her paperwork. "If you must know, Stella has a date this evening."

"Yeah," Danny said with a nod, picking up his pen and also going back to work, "I know. Some artist she's been seeing."

Lindsay went silent for a few minutes, trying to figure out how best to phrase this sentence without sounding like a complete idiot, when Danny suddenly glanced up. "Monroe," he said, and she looked at him, if only because he addressed her by her last name rather than her nickname, "are you jealous?"

"No," she responded, a little too quickly, if the smirk spreading across Danny's face was any indication. "I was just making an observation."

"Uh-huh. So you sigh before making observations, then? Is this going to become a habit?" She would've given anything to wipe that smug look off his face as he imitated her earlier sigh and then, in a bad affectation of her non-accent, said, "We're out of coffee."

She crumpled up a spare sheet of paper and tossed it at him. He batted it away effortlessly. "You're an ass, Messer."

He laughed at his own joke, but then his expression sobered. "Seriously. What's wrong?"

She glared at him. "As if I would tell you."

He clutched a hand to his chest in a gesture of mock hurt. "I'll have you know, I can be a pretty sensitive guy once you get to know me."

She snorted. It came out harsher than she intended. "Yeah. Sure. I'll believe that when I see it."

Danny lowered his head to his reports once more, and she was astonished to see that he actually looked hurt by her callousness. She wondered if she should apologize, but he was now intent on his work, so she returned to hers, the guilt gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She didn't understand why she felt bad about her remark. It was no worse than the other things she said to him. This was what they did – this verbal back and forth was how they interacted with each other. But the things she'd said had never upset him until now. Had she crossed some line of which she hadn't even been aware?

Determined to smooth things over, she let him work for a while before she admitted, "It's been a while since I've been on a date."

He met her gaze and gave her a slow smile. Were she a weaker woman, that smile might have made her knees turn to water. "Really?" He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. "You mean to tell me that the other guys haven't caught on?"

She furrowed her brow, confused. "To what?"

He licked his lips. "To the wonderfulness that is you."

She rolled her eyes but blushed all the same. "That line usually work for you, Messer?"

He grinned. "Every time."

Of that, she had no doubt. She'd heard rumors about Danny's fairly active social life – that he went through girls like most people went through packs of gum. She suspected that most women fawned over him and his corny pickup lines. And as much as she hated to admit it, he was an extremely attractive man. That was hard to deny. Some days, she found it difficult to concentrate when she was around him. Maybe it was the way those shirts he wore hugged the muscles of his well-defined chest, leaving little to the imagination. Maybe it was the way his biceps bulged whenever he braced his arms on the desk. Maybe it was because every time he licked his lips, she couldn't help but picture what else she wanted that tongue to be doing. And then there were his eyes – that unique shade of blue that seemingly only existed in his eyes. And his smile – charming and dangerous, but mainly dangerous because of how charming it was. And that accent…

"How long?" Danny's question jarred her from her thoughts, which were fast straying into dangerous territory.

She blinked. What had they been talking about again? "Excuse me?"

He smiled and shook his head, almost as if he knew exactly what she'd been thinking. "How long since you've been on a date?"

She tried not to blush, but she could feel her cheeks burn. "Oh. Um, since I left Montana?"

He whistled. "Damn, Monroe. How do you survive?"

She rolled her eyes. "I manage." She could only imagine what Danny's idea of 'a long time' was. He probably started hyperventilating if he went three days without being in the company of some bimbo who found the fact that he was a CSI completely fascinating. However, she was starting to get lonely, and though she was not the type of woman to have a one-night stand, she was starting to wonder if perhaps she should become so. But a one-night stand couldn't give her the things that she missed most about dating, about being with someone. She missed the comfort she took from his touch, the way she felt safe in his arms, the way he made her feel wanted and needed and loved.

"Montana?"

She shook her head to clear it and realized that Danny was once again speaking to her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He laughed. "I said, if it's so important to you, I could take you out sometime."

Her first reaction, to which she didn't give in, was to start laughing hysterically. The idea of the two of them going on a date was simply too ludicrous for words. Her second reaction, which won her inner battle, was to freeze and have her mind completely shut down. Because she honestly could no longer function normally. She could just picture the look on her face, especially when Danny said, "Sheesh, Monroe, I'm not suggesting we get married. I'm saying, let me take you out to dinner. Try and end your slump."

That statement brought her voice back. "Real smooth, Messer. How exactly does you and me going to dinner end my 'slump'?"

He leaned forward in his chair, his paperwork forgotten. "Look at it logically." He adjusted his glasses. "When a baseball player is in a hitting slump, he sometimes corks the bat, just until he gets his confidence back." He gestured at her with a sweep of his arm. "You just moved to a new city. You're a bit unsure of yourself, not certain if you made the right decision. You don't really know where you fit yet. Guys are attracted to confidence. You've got to get it back. You need to cork your bat, so to speak."

Lindsay didn't think it would be wise to tell him what came to mind when he said 'cork your bat'. But she could see the logic in his argument, even though she didn't really agree with it. It wasn't that she couldn't get dates. In fact, all she had to do was walk into a bar wearing that purple halter-top that she had, and she'd have more offers than she could count. It was that none of the guys who asked her out were guys from whom she wanted to accept an invitation.

She also didn't want to accept an invitation from Danny – for a plethora of reasons, most of which stemmed from the fact that she was incredibly attracted to the bespectacled smartass and didn't think she'd be able to control herself around him if they were to be alone for extended periods of time.

But still… How could she resist such a tempting offer? To see Danny Messer in his natural habitat… That was a chance she couldn't pass up.

"You're on," she said. She was sure she would come to regret it.

He smiled – a genuine smile, not the flirty one to which she was accustomed. "Excellent." He stood and shuffled his papers. "I'll grab you tomorrow after shift." He tucked the stack under his arm and headed for the door. "Dress nice. I don't impress easily."

As soon as he was gone, Lindsay dropped her head to her desk. This would not end well. She could tell. Or, rather, it would most likely end too well, which was not good. Not good at all.

Wait… How the hell had Danny managed to finish his paperwork?


	2. Main Course

**A/N: I spent forever trying to get the Italian to make sense. If you speak Italian, and I butchered it, I apologize. If you don't speak Italian, then you don't need to. **

**I'm thinking of copyrighting the phrase 'bespectacled smartass'. What do you think?**

**Again, thanks to Cyko and Spunky for the beta.  
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** Part 2 **

** The Main Course**

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Lindsay put the finishing touches on her outfit. Danny had been vague about the details. In fact, he was refusing to tell her anything other than repeating the phrase, "Just look nice." Every time he said that, she rolled her eyes. Men. Didn't they understand that telling a woman to 'look nice' wasn't specific at all? 'Nice' could mean any number of things. It could mean casual, formal, semi-formal… The possibilities were endless. So as she cornered him outside the break room near the end of shift and asked him once again where he was taking her, she was determined to get information out of him.

She used one hand to pin him against the wall, not particularly caring how inappropriate that looked to everyone.

"Whoa, Montana," he said, the grin on his face too delicious for words. "You might want to save that for later."

"Messer, you tell me where we're going or so help me God, I'll…" She allowed her voice to trail off, hoping that she sounded menacing and not like she just couldn't think of a way to finish that sentence, which was the truth.

But he wasn't reacting the way she'd hoped. His eyes lit up, and he licked his lips. "You'll what?"

She bit back a moan at the look in his eyes and released him, only just now realizing how firm the muscles of his chest were. She recoiled as though he'd burned her, nervously fiddling with the hem of her shirt to hide the effect he was having on her. She refused to meet his gaze. "Come on, Danny. Give me something to go on, here."

He smiled. "I did. I told you to look nice."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, half-tempted to smack him. "Are you saying I don't look nice now?"

"Oh, you always look nice, Monroe," he murmured. The change in his tone made her shiver. "I just meant we're going someplace fancy, and I didn't want you to feel…underdressed." He paused, making no effort to hide the fact that he was now blatantly checking her out. "Between you and me, though… I happen to like the idea of you being underdressed."

She tried not to look too shocked at his statement, but she was honestly floored. Maybe it had something to do with the look in his eyes – he was looking at her like he couldn't wait to rip off all her clothes. She never should have agreed to this date. She would never be able to control herself. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there are some things I don't do on a first date."

She turned and walked away, but his closing remark could not be ignored. "I wouldn't put that in stone, Montana! I can be pretty persuasive!"

She reapplied her lipstick and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. She hoped no one ever found out that she'd brought three extra outfits to work, unsure of how exactly she'd be expected to dress for her and Danny's non-date. When he'd admitted that they were going someplace fancy, she'd settled on her red dress with the spaghetti straps and embroidered neckline. She had a pair of matching heels, and to complete the ensemble, the ruby pendant that had once belonged to her grandmother. She took a deep breath, mentally bracing herself to face Danny all dressed up. He probably looked pretty damn good in a suit. Truth be told, he looked pretty damn good in just about everything. She bet he looked even better in nothing at all.

And thinking like that would only lead to trouble.

Finished with her primping, she went in search of Danny. She had actually expected him to come and find her in the locker room, demanding to know what was taking so long. She hadn't seen him since right before the end of shift – she told him she'd need a while to change, and he said he'd be in trace if she needed him. But he wasn't in trace, layout, DNA, the A/V lab, or the break room. Every room she entered, she asked whoever happened to be present if he or she had seen Danny, but the answer was always 'no'. Lindsay was beginning to grow irritated – both with Danny, who was nowhere to be found, and with the lab techs, who started gossiping about her and Danny's nonexistent relationship before she was even out of earshot. She was slightly enjoying the appreciative stares she was receiving from her male coworkers, but there was one male coworker in particular who was going to get the full brunt of her wrath if he didn't show his face in the next thirty seconds.

After nearly twenty minutes of fruitless searching, Lindsay returned to the office she shared with Danny to retrieve her purse, deciding to head to this new bar that had just opened up in SoHo. She jumped when someone knocked on the doorframe. She turned around and came face-to-face with the object of her ire.

"Damn, Monroe," he said, eyeing her up and down. His gaze lingered on the sloping neckline before drifting back up to meet hers, and she saw that there was an almost predatory gleam in his eyes. "I told you to look nice, not fucking hot. What are you trying to do to me?"

She advanced, ready to snarl out the nastiest insult she could think of, but her words died in her throat she realized the reason he was late. In his right hand was a bouquet of gardenias, which he awkwardly held out to her.

"Here you go…Lindsay," he said, faltering a bit on her name, as it was the first time he had ever called her that. "I took me forever to find a florist that was open. I hope you weren't waiting too long?"

She wordlessly accepted the flowers, touched by his thoughtfulness, and also delighted by his reaction to her dress. Apparently, she'd chosen her outfit wisely. His eyes drifted downwards again, and she took the opportunity to check him out. He was wearing a dark blue suit with light blue pinstripes and a red tie. The suit was just tight enough to be tantalizing while technically not revealing anything. He looked unbelievable, and Lindsay suddenly wished very much that this was a real date – and came with all the benefits of a real date.

But it wasn't, and it didn't. And as long as she kept telling herself that, she would be fine.

"You look pretty hot yourself, Messer." She noticed that he had styled his hair differently – it wasn't spiky, as it normally was. She gestured at his head with the bouquet. "I didn't even know your hair could do that."

He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair, effectively ruining the sleeker style he'd obviously been going for. "You'll find I'm full of surprises, Monroe. You ready to go?"

They stopped at the break room – ignoring the whispers of the night shift – so that she could put her flowers in water and then were off on their non-date. Danny had apparently borrowed one of the lab's cars, as he led her to the nearest one and held her door open for her. She laughed softly as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Flowers, opening my door for me…" She shot him a grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were on a date."

Danny shrugged. "My mom finds out I took out a girl and didn't do all that stuff, she'll flay me alive."

Lindsay laughed again and turned to look out the window. She would never tire of gazing at the buildings of New York, no matter how long she lived in the city. But eventually, her eyes drifted to Danny. Her lips curled in a smile. She didn't think she'd ever tire of gazing at her partner, either.

How could she, when he looked so damn fine?

"So," she said after a silence, leaning towards Danny conspiratorially, "if we're on a date, does that mean you're going to be trying some of those old cheap moves on me?"

Danny made a noise in the back of his throat and looked at her, mock shock on his face. "Of course not, Montana." He turned his attention back to the road. "I have all new cheap moves to try out on you."

She sighed and shook her head. "Never underestimate the old standards, Messer."

The restaurant Danny had chosen was an upscale Mediterranean place in TriBeCa. She was momentarily taken aback by his choice of restaurants. She'd never pictured Danny as someone who went for exotic cuisine; she'd always imagined him as a pizza and burgers kind of guy. She barely had time to think on it before he was scrambling out of the car to open her door for her. He held out his hand to help her out of the car.

He was just full of surprises tonight.

She gently took his proffered hand, remarking that they fit together perfectly. She resisted the urge to give his fingers a squeeze. "Why, Mr. Messer, how old-fashioned of you."

He blushed all the way to his hairline. "I'm just making sure you don't sprain your ankle in those shoes." He leaned to the side, making no effort to conceal the fact that he was quite obviously checking out her legs. "How do you walk in those things, anyway?"

A slow smile spread across her face as she recognized her chance to make Danny sweat. She winked at him. "Like this." She walked into the restaurant, slipping a little more sashay into her hips, knowing that he was watching her. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and found him motionless, his eyes locked on her ass, his mouth hanging open. "You coming?"

He nearly tripped over his own feet following her through the door. She couldn't help but walk a little straighter after seeing his reaction. The way his pupils had dilated, the way his breathing had shallowed, the way he was clenching and unclenching his hands – it was such an unbelievable rush, quite unlike anything she'd ever experienced. It was intoxicating.

It was not good. Very not good.

They were led to their table by a very attractive girl with long blonde hair, who smiled flirtatiously at Danny every chance she got. Lindsay felt a hot surge of anger in the pit of her stomach every time that bimbo had the audacity to flash that coy grin at Danny, but she also couldn't help but notice that he couldn't take his eyes off her – completely ignoring the hostess. The anger was replaced by a different kind of heat that settled slightly lower than her stomach.

Neither of them said a word until they were seated. Danny captured her gaze from across the table, and his blue eyes were smoldering. "Why, Miss Monroe… That little walk thing you did earlier… I do believe that was a cheap move."

She smiled, the tip of her tongue poking out from between her teeth. "Messer, there's nothing cheap about me."

He chuckled, low and deep in his throat, and she shivered in spite of herself. "I don't doubt that for a second." He sat back in his chair, gazing at her from over the tops of his glasses. "So, when am I going to see some more of those moves?"

She cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Danny licked his lips. He also leaned forward, resting his elbows against the table. Their faces were only inches apart. "You're on."

His breath was warm on her face. Her eyes flicked to his lips. Her heart rate accelerated. He was so close – so close. She would barely need to move to be kissing him. And she suddenly very badly wanted to be kissing him.

Then she blinked and broke the spell. She pulled away, settling back against her chair, removing herself from the tractor beam that was Danny's eyes. "So enlighten me," she said. "What does Danny Messer do on a date?"

He glanced away, almost shyly, and then returned his eyes to hers. "Well, for starters, on a first date, I usually take the girl to this pizza place in Brooklyn. I go there a lot, so everyone knows me. Makes me seem popular."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at that. As if Danny needed to seem popular. He was the talk of the lab. She could think of half a dozen lab techs off the top of her head who would trade places with Lindsay in a heartbeat. In fact, she was surprised that none of them had tried to sabotage her earlier. She half-expected to find her dress in shreds, or her shoes missing, or have coffee spilled on her. "That's pretty cheap, Messer."

He shook his head, grinning. "Not nearly as cheap as that little walk move you did."

She smiled and brought her shoulder to her chin. "I'm proud of that, actually. It works every time."

"Not surprising." He rubbed the back of his neck. "What else you got?"

She raised an eyebrow, wondering if she should really reveal all her tricks of the trade. She decided that it was a small price to pay for being able to glimpse the inner workings of a player's mind. She slipped off her left shoe and shifted in her seat, crossing her legs and deliberately dragging her bare foot along Danny's shin. He stiffened, his hands grasping the edge of the table, and she flashed him the most innocent smile she could summon.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as though trying to regain his self-control. "That's not fair, Monroe," he growled.

She just looked at him. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

He pursed his lips and opened his mouth to reply just as their waiter appeared at their table. In a thick Italian accent, he asked them if they'd given any consideration as to their drink orders. Lindsay immediately reached for her as yet untouched menu and began to peruse the wine list.

"_Voglio la birra e la signora vuole il vino_," Danny said. "_E due acque_."

The waiter nodded and disappeared.

Lindsay could only stare. "I didn't know you spoke Italian."

He shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant and failing miserably. "My grandmother taught me when I was a kid."

He had to know how unbelievably sexy it was when a guy spoke in a different language. She narrowed her eyes. Of course he knew; that was why he had done that. "Another move of yours?" she asked archly.

"What can I say? The ladies love it."

There was no denying the truth in that statement. One of the things Lindsay had loved most about her last boyfriend was how he would spontaneously slip into Spanish. She had to admit, though, that Italian sounded a lot better than Spanish. Though, perhaps it had more to do with the man speaking the words rather than the words themselves.

"You know," she said, folding her arms on the table, "I was wondering… You're Italian, but Messer is a German name."

Danny grinned. "You doing research on me, Monroe?"

She did her best to look offended. "Of course not. It's common knowledge."

He rolled his eyes, still grinning. "Common knowledge. Sure." He shifted in his chair, draping one arm over the back of it, his pose completely casual, though his attire suggested otherwise. It was incredibly sexy. Damn him. "I'll have you know that our name wasn't always Messer."

She raised her eyebrows, intrigued. She'd heard stories about Danny's sordid past – almost as many as she'd heard about his sexual escapades. The most common theory was that Danny's family was connected, so to speak. It was all speculation, of course, but Lindsay knew that Mac never would have hired Danny if he were in league with the mob. Still, after that statement, how could she not jump to that conclusion? To hear that his last name hadn't always been Messer? "Do tell."

"It's not what you're thinking, so don't get excited," he said with a wink. "My great-grandparents came over from Italy right after World War I, and the people at Ellis Island changed the name. It was Messana."

She frowned. Her ancestors had come to America in the 1700s and had had the same surname for hundreds of years. She couldn't imagine what it was like to have your name – your very identity – altered on a whim like that. "I'm sorry."

He looked genuinely confused. "Sorry for what? You had nothing to do with it." He furrowed his brow. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

She giggled, and nearly choked on it. She hadn't giggled in ages.

Danny continued, emboldened by her response. "Come on, now, Monroe. We're partners. You can tell me if you're secretly a time-traveling agent bent on world domination."

She rolled her eyes and reached across the table to give him a playful slap on the shoulder. They shared a laugh as their waiter approached. He set down their drinks – beer for Danny, wine for her, and water for the both of them. He then patiently waited while she and Danny quickly chose their entrées and disappeared once again.

She absentmindedly traced the rim of her wine glass with one finger, making it sing. "So why did they change their name?" she asked.

But Danny wasn't paying attention. He was staring intently at her finger. She smirked and slid her finger down the edge of the glass, placing special attention on the stem. She lightly grasped the stem, trailing her fingers along it, all the while, her eyes never leaving Danny.

When she decided she'd tortured him long enough, she repeated her question. "Danny?"

He shook his head and looked at her. He seemed a bit dazed. She felt a surge of satisfaction. "Yeah?"

She rested her chin on her hand. "Why did they change their name?"

He leaned forward conspiratorially. She eagerly leaned forward as well. "Because my family is…you know…connected."

She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips. "Really?"

He beckoned her closer, and she scooted as far forward as she could go. "No," he said.

She barely resisted the urge to smack him as he started laughing. "That was not funny, Messer."

He took his glasses off and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry, Monroe, but did you really think that move would work on me?" Lindsay tried not to stare, realizing that this was the first time that she had seen him without his glasses. She quickly averted her eyes. "I mean, you're talking to the master here."

She angrily folded her arms across her chest. Bringing up the origins behind her date's surname was one of her best moves. For some reason, starting with something small and seemingly insignificant like that got guys to open up more easily than asking them a deep, more thought-provoking question. Also, it made her seem interested in him, because she'd taken the time to look up the origin.

Lindsay looked up and found his eyes locked on her lips. "What are you looking at?"

He met her gaze, his eyes smoldering. "You've got that sexy, pouty look down pat."

She felt her cheeks grow hot and knew she must be a brilliant shade of red by now. Some of her sorority sisters had used the pout as a move, but she found it didn't quite fit with her personality. However, Danny telling her that it was sexy and seeing the look in his eyes made her want to add it.

As their conversation continued, Lindsay forgot entirely about trying to pull any of her moves on Danny. She forgot that they were supposed to be on a 'date' and talked to him as though they were in their office or waiting for results in the lab. Normally, on a first date, her stomach was in knots. She analyzed every word that came out of the guy's mouth, trying to gauge his intentions or true feelings. She didn't do that with Danny. Being with Danny was easy – comfortable and familiar, yet new and exciting at the same time.

Everything came rushing back to her as they waited for the check. She'd been telling him some ridiculous story about this prank they pulled on her high school principal, only to find that his eyes were not on her face. They were locked on a spot on her collarbone. She instinctively raised a hand to her chest.

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She hadn't felt self-conscious all evening, which was odd for her.

Danny briefly glanced up to meet her eyes, then returned his gaze to her chest. "Nothing. I was just…" He leaned forward. "That's a beautiful necklace."

She smiled, relieved. "Thank you. It was my grandmother's."

His fingers were suddenly brushing her collarbone, sending bolts of electricity shooting through her body. They settled in the pit of her stomach. She felt very warm. "What is that?" he asked, his breath warm on her throat, his voice an octave lower than normal. "A ruby?"

"Yeah." Her voice was shaking. Her heart was pounding. "It's, um… It's my birthstone."

"No kidding?" He delicately lifted the pendant from her skin. "I didn't know that."

She cleared her throat, struggling to regain control of her emotions. "There're a lot of things you don't know about me, Danny."

His eyes widened slightly as he retreated back into his chair. "Is that so, Lindsay?"

She opened her mouth to respond but closed it abruptly. She shook her head, smiling. She couldn't believe she had almost fallen for that. "Oh, you're good."

Danny's lips quirked in a small smile. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

The rest of the evening passed in near silence. Lindsay's emotions were all over the map; she refused to open her mouth for fear of the words that would pass through her lips. She was having trouble controlling herself. Her fingers itched to run themselves through Danny's hair; her hand longed to situate itself on Danny's thigh. Her lips were desperate to search out his. She was glad that the date was over. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go without jumping him.

He walked her to her apartment, and though every synapse in her brain was telling her not to do what she was about to do, she turned to face him, leaning against her door. "So… What does Danny Messer do after he walks a girl to her door?"

Danny licked his lips again and advanced slowly. He braced his hands on either side of her, effectively trapping her against the wood. He towered above her. His eyes bored into her – a look that suggested all he needed to do was concentrate hard enough and her clothes would just vanish. He leaned forward. Her eyes fluttered shut of their own volition, so she felt rather than saw him stop inches from her face. He lightly exhaled against her lips. She braced herself for the inevitable…

…that never came.

Her eyes flew open. Danny had already retreated, smiling that delicious smile of his. "I usually do that," he said.

She made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat and quickly unlocked her door. But as she went to push it open, Danny reached forward and yanked it shut. She rolled her eyes. "Danny, please."

He clicked his tongue. "I'm not letting you off that easy, Monroe. I showed you mine…" His eyes were shining, and though he trailed off, the rest of his sentence was clear.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. Two could play that game. She took a step closer to him, wetting her lips with her tongue. She watched with extreme pleasure as his pupils dilated. She slipped her arms around him, resting her hands on his waist just above his ass. Then she stretched up on her toes and lightly pressed her lips to his – the barest hint of a caress. It was simple, but jarring. Even from that brief contact, her heart was racing. When she pulled back, she dropped her eyes to his chest and gave a contented sigh.

Lindsay felt the exact moment everything shifted. His back muscles tensed under her fingers. She could hear his breathing shallow. She could feel his heat through the fabric of her dress. She chanced a glance at his face, and before she could breathe, he brought his lips crashing down on hers.


	3. Dessert

**A/N: I decided to post the last chapter early, because I know you're all waiting to find out what happens. Also, because I plan on posting my Christmas fic either tomorrow or Sunday, and I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle.**

** Thanks to everyone for your awesome reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Thanks also to my awesome betas, Cyko and Spunky, whose comments for this chapter were very enouraging.   
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**Part 3**

**Dessert**

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Lindsay was lost the second Danny's lips touched hers. She knew, without a doubt, that there was no going back after this. He had been poking holes in her self-control all night, and now the wall was tumbling down. And she didn't give a shit. Because Danny was kissing her, his talented tongue seeking entrance into her mouth, his hands moving with reckless abandon, traveling down the shape of her curves and sliding behind her to grasp her ass and pull her more fully against him. Nothing else mattered – just his lips, his scent, his heat.

One push brought her against the door. He braced his hands on either side of her head, pinning her to the wood. He pressed the full length of his body against hers, and she could feel his arousal against her hip. She wanted to make a smart comment – ask him if he always brought his gun on dates – but his mouth had stolen her ability to form rational or even coherent thoughts, in addition to stealing the very breath from her lungs.

God, this man was walking, talking, living, breathing sex. How had she managed to resist him for so long?

Dimly, her brain registered the fact that they were still in her hallway, going at it like wildcats for everyone and her grandmother to see. She fumbled with the doorknob, somehow managing to open the door, and it gave way behind her. The sudden absence of that support caused her and Danny to stumble into her apartment, ending up in a tangled heap on the floor.

She didn't particularly care. Except that the force of the fall jarred his lips from hers, but this was a blessing in disguise, as she was very close to passing out from lack of oxygen. She took a deep, shaky breath, debating with herself as to whether or not she wanted to regain control.

It was a useless argument. She knew that they had long passed the point of no return. There was no way she would be able to stop this. She didn't want to stop it.

She stretched out her leg to shut the door with her toes, raising her hips off the floor in the process. All this did was brings her hips into contact with Danny's. He growled and ground her into the floor, assaulting her throat with a barrage of kisses. His stubble irritated her skin, and she knew it would be red and raw in the morning, but the thought didn't bother her. She wanted Danny to mark her, take her, claim her as his own.

They apparently decided at the same time that they were both ridiculously overdressed for the activity they were spiraling towards. Danny's earlier remark about wanting her to be underdressed was suddenly amazingly accurate as she struggled to remove his tie and he fumbled with the straps of her shoes. She tossed his tie aside. He threw her shoes over his shoulder. Somewhere in the distance she heard the sound of breaking glass, but she didn't have time to process it. In one swift motion, Danny had rolled them over so that she was now on top and slipped his hands under her dress, sliding them up her thighs.

His nimble fingers made contact with the lace of her panties, and it was like a bomb went off. He gripped the back of her head and pulled her down to meet his waiting lips, kissing her with an urgency that seemed to suck the heat from the atmosphere and place it between their lips. His hands wound their way around to her zipper, dragging it down roughly, nearly pinching her skin in the process. He tugged at the straps of her dress, and she was afraid he would snap them. He sat up, holding her to him, and dropped a kiss to her shoulder. It was such a tender gesture that it completely caught her by surprise – considering the ferocity with which he'd just been kissing her. She moaned before she could stop herself, and he trailed his lips down along her collarbone.

She worked the buttons of his shirt. Why had she thought this was a good look for him? It was a terrible look for him. It was too difficult to remove. It required too much effort, too much thought. At last, she gave up, gripping the shirt on both sides and pulling with all of her might. The thin material ripped, sending buttons flying everywhere. He was wearing his trademark tank top underneath. She wanted to ask him if he would consider making that his uniform for work, but that would require speech, which she was incapable of at the moment. There wasn't nearly enough blood flow to her brain.

He wrapped his arms around her and flipped them over again. There was a loud 'thunk' as he banged his head off the end table by her couch, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy shrugging out of his ruined button-down and impatiently shucking the tank top. She barely had time to appreciate his nicely sculpted abdominal muscles before he was yanking on the hem of her dress, pulling it off her body. It was her best dress, but somehow it didn't matter that he discarded it as if it were nothing, because the look in his eyes was hungry, predatory, and his breathing definitely hitched when he looked at her.

The matching bra and panty set had been a good choice, obviously.

She decided that it was extremely unfair that he was still mostly clothed. She reached for the zipper of his pants, accidentally brushing against his erection as she did so. He whimpered and bit his lip as his hips bucked, seeking hers. She made quick work of his belt and watched with fascination as he rid himself of his pants in what had to be record time.

Lindsay opened her mouth to suggest they move this into the bedroom, but Danny was on top of her again, and she reasoned that the floor was as good a place as any. He crawled up her body, holding himself only inches above her, the muscles in his arms flexing. He placed a kiss at the hollow of her throat, and she moaned again. He trailed his lips along her collarbone once more, and she felt her pulse quicken. He flicked his tongue over the pulse point that was giving her so much trouble. Each brush of his lips against her skin sent electricity shooting through her body, finally exploding out of her toes.

She planted her hands on his chest, splaying her fingers, enjoying the feel of his muscles as they jumped under her touch. On impulse, she sank her nails into his flesh. He growled and responded by pressing his hips firmly against hers, rocking back and forth. She gasped softly and her hips bucked upwards, desperate to relieve the pressure that had settled in her pelvis.

He dropped his lips to her throat once more, and his hands deftly unsecured the front clasp of her bra. He pushed the cups aside and tugged on the straps. She lifted her shoulders so that he could remove the bra. She whimpered as he took a nipple in his teeth, still rocking against the cradle of her hips.

Holy fucking mother of God. She couldn't last much longer, and he wasn't even inside of her yet.

Summoning what little strength remained, it was she who flipped them over this time, and she who cracked her head on the underside of her end table. She barely noticed the pain as she slipped her fingers underneath the waistband of his boxer-briefs and slid them down his legs. She moved to straddle his hips, only to find herself on her back once more as he removed her panties. He nudged her legs apart with his knee and without invitation or preamble drove into her.

She gave an involuntary shriek at the way he filled her, the way he stretched her, and he paused, resting his forehead against hers. He was breathing heavily, as she was, and she could feel the rapid beating of his heart. He caught her gaze and held it, asking for permission to continue with his eyes. She gave him permission with a whimper of ecstasy that she couldn't quite contain, and he began to move.

He pulled out almost completely before burying himself in her up to his hilt. She wrapped one leg around his hips, and with the altered position, his next thrust made her moan and drop her head back, smacking it off the floor. She tightened her legs around his waist, locked her ankles at the small of his back, and matched him thrust for thrust.

She could feel the pressure building but didn't want to give in too soon. As unbelievable as it felt, being with Danny like this, she didn't want it to end. She wanted to stay like this, with him deeply inside of her, for as long as humanly possible. She squeezed his shoulders, then moved her hands to his biceps. His arms began to shake, and she could tell that he was also close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hauled herself up, nuzzling the pulse point of his neck. She trailed her tongue along the underside of his jaw. He gently nipped at her collarbone, then sank his teeth into the area just above her heart.

Her orgasm was sudden, explosive, and damn near blinding. She swore her heart stopped beating. She felt Danny stiffen and seize inside of her. Then his arms finally gave out and he collapsed on top of her.

She came back to herself slowly, greedily gulping for air. She lazily opened her eyes and found Danny gazing at her, the look his eyes virtually unreadable. He dropped an affectionate kiss to her lips. He moved his mouth over hers, but when she went to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.

He smirked at her. "Now, Miss Monroe, I believe you said there were certain things you didn't do on a first date."

She could only stare at him, but then she saw the glint in his eye and felt herself smiling, too. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was still inside her, when his fingers were drawing delicate circles on her stomach. "I believe I also said that you should never underestimate the old standards."

He laughed deep in his throat, and his expression suddenly became serious. "Seriously, Lindsay, how do we want to handle this?"

She raised her eyebrows. "This?"

He nodded slowly. "I like you. A lot. And I don't want this – tonight – to be it."

Her heart ached at his words. He sounded like he meant it. And until that moment, she hadn't realized how much she wanted that as well. But there was something about Danny. She longed to know every part of Danny – not just how to make him sweat and tremble and come undone – but how he took his coffee and why he decided to become a CSI.

She never had been the type of girl who could do a one-night stand. Not with Danny. He meant too much for her for this to be all she would get of him.

She reached up to trace the ink of his tattoo. "I don't want tonight to be it, either."

He ran the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip. "So, you want to give it a shot?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "That pizza place you mentioned in Brooklyn. Is it any good?"

He grinned and rolled off her. "Best cheesecake in the world."

She licked her lips. "Maybe you can take me there on Friday."

He threw an arm around her and drew her to him. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. "You're on."


End file.
